Pager receiver

• US 4,263,480 A
• Filed: 07/17/1979
• Issued: 04/21/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Alfred B. Levine
• Inventors: Levine, Alfred B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Konick, Bernard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Popek, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US06/058,250
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 EC, 179/2 EA, 179/2 A, 179/6 R, 179/6 C, 179/18 BF, 340/311, 340/312
• US Class Current: 340/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/025 with acknowledge back capability

Abstract

A fully automatic pager system wherein a transmitter station automatically sends out an identifying address code to activate a selected pager receiver in response to a telephone call from a calling party who dials the normal telephone number of the party to be reached. The transmitter station also automatically sends out a message code to the activated receiver in response to a number message subsequently dialed by the calling party. The transmitter station automatically responds to the dialed identifying message and the dialed message from the caller to locate the identifying code and the message code to be transmitted that have been previously stored in a memory. At the receiver is provided a memory having a series of pre-stored limited content messages, each of which is selectively retrievable upon the receipt of a message code corresponding to the address of that message in the memory. The received message codes are automatically stored in the receiver, for subsequent retrieval, in the event that the user does not acknowledge receiving that message.

Claims

1. A paging transmission system comprising a transmitter station and plural remote portable pager receivers,

said station having an automatic telephone answering device for instructing a telephone caller to dial an alpha-numeric address that identifies a selected one of the pager receivers, and additionally instructs the caller to dial a further alpha-numeric message to be sent to the selected receiver,

said station having means for automatically responding to the alpha-numeric address to locate and send out a unique address code to activate a selected receiver,

said station also having means for automatically responding to the further dialed message from the caller to locate and send out a unique message address code for the further message in the event that the further message has been prestored in a memory of the selected pager receiver,

said station having means for automatically responding to the further dialed message from the caller to send out a different unique message address code in the event that the callers further dialed message has not been prestored in the memory of the pager receiver,

said plural remote receivers each responsive to a different identifying address code for selective activation,

said plural remote receivers each having a memory with a plurality of different messages being pre-stored in said memory and each message being selectively retrievable by a different unique message code, and

said plural receivers each having communicating means for selectively reading-out a limited message from the memory,

whereby the reception of a unique identifying address code activates a selected receiver and the subsequent reception of a unique message code by an activated receiver retrieves a pre-stored message from the memory corresponding to that unique message code and communicates that prestored message to the user.

2. In the system of claim 1, said alpha-numeric number sent by the caller that identifies the selected pager receiver being the telephone number of the party to be paged and the additional limited alpha-numeric message sent by the caller being a call-back number.

3. In the system of claim 2, said means at the station for automatically responding to the callers address message to locate and send a unique address code including a central memory means for storing the telephone numbers of all pager receiver users together with correspondingly assigned unique subscriber address codes for each of the users, and means for automatically correlating the received telephone numbers to derive the unique subscriber address codes.

4. In the system of claim 1, said communicating means of said receivers comprising a visual display panel for display of an alpha-numeric message and means responsive to reception of a unique message code for read-out of a selected message from said memory to said display panel.

5. In the system of claim 4, the addition of time delay means in said receivers and a memory, for initiating automatic erase of said display panel and automatic storage of said unique message code in the event that the subscriber does not respond to the display of said message.

6. An automatic paging system having an incoming telephone line, a transmitting station, and plural remote portable pager receivers,

at the transmitting station is provided automatic means responsive to a unique incoming digital number from a calling party over the telephone line to automatically locate and send out a unique address code of fewer digits than the incoming number over the telephone line to select and activate a desired one of the plural remote portable pager receiver,

at the transmitting station is provided a second automatic means response to a second unique digital number from the caller over the telephone line to locate and send out a unique message code to the activated receiver of fewer digits than the second digital number received from the caller,

said plural remote receivers each being responsive to a different unique address code to be selectively activated,

said plural remote receivers each having a memory containing a plurality of fixed content digital messages pre-stored therein, and with each different digital message being selectively retrievable from the memory by reception of a different unique message code of fewer digits than the stored digital message,

said plural remote receivers each having communicating means and read-out means for responding to a retrieved digital message from the memory to communicate said message to the user of the receiver,

whereby the reception of the unique address code from the transmitter serves to activate a selected receiver and the subsequent reception of the message code from the transmitter serves to selectively retrieve a particular message that has been pre-stored in the memory of the receiver and communicate that particular message to the user of the receiver.

7. In the system of claim 6, said second automatic means at the transmitter determining if a pre-stored digital message exists in the selected receiver corresponding to the second unique digital number received from the caller over the telephone line, in the event that such message exists said transmitter thereupon sending out said message code of fewer digits to retrieve and communicate said digital message and if said message does not exist, said transmitter sending out a different message code.

8. In the system of claim 6, said receivers having acknowledgement transmitter means to send out an acknowledgement signal back to the transmitter station that a message code has been received.

9. In the system of claim 6, said receivers having additional memory means for storing and retaining any received message codes for later retrieval and communication to the user.

10. In the system of claim 6, said receivers having additional memory means for storing and retaining any received message codes for later retrieval and communication of the messages to the users, automatic means for resetting the receiver to respond to subsequently received message codes, thereby enabling the receivers to automatically respond to and store a plurality of received message codes.

11. In a pager system having incoming telephone lines, a transmitter station, and plural receivers, a memory bank at the transmitter for storing the unique address code numbers of few digits assigned to each different receiver and associating said unique address codes with unique telephone numbers of a greater number of digits associated with each of said plurality of receivers, an additional memory bank for a plurality of fixed content messages associated with each different one of said receivers and a corresponding unique message code of fewer digits for each of said fixed content messages, automatic means at said station for responding to a received digital number over the telephone line to select from said memory bank and to transmit the unique address code corresponding to said number, and said automatic means responding to a subsequent received digital number over that telephone line to select from said additional memory bank a corresponding message code and transmit said code, and said receivers selectively responding to a unique address code to activate a selected receiver and the activated receiver responding to a received message code to retrieve and communicate a previously stored unique message in said selected receiver corresponding to the unique message code received.